SchaferAutismReport: Unusual Use of Toys In Infancy A Clue To Later Autism

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RESEARCH

Unusual Use of Toys In Infancy A Clue To Later Autism

Autism Gene May Play Role in Specific Language Impairment

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RESEARCH

Unusual Use of Toys In Infancy A Clue

To Later Autism

'Atypical object exploration' seen at 12 months in children later diagnosed

with autism

bit.ly/ssqf

Researchers at the UC M.I.N.D.

Institute have found that infants later diagnosed with autism exhibited

unusual exploration of objects long before being diagnosed. Studying a

group of children at high risk for developing autism, the researchers found

that those eventually diagnosed with the disorder were more likely to spin,

repetitively rotate, stare at and look out of the corners of their eyes at

simple objects, including a baby bottle and a rattle, as early as 12 months

of age.

These findings could help pediatricians

diagnose and treat autism earlier, reducing some of the social and

educational challenges associated with the disorder.

" There is an urgent need to develop

measures that can pick up early signs of autism, signs present before 24

months, " said M.I.N.D. researcher Sally Ozonoff, first author of the

current study, which was published in the October issue of Autism, the

journal of the National Autistic Society.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has

recommended that all infants be screened for autism twice before their

second birthdays. Currently, pediatricians look for the hallmark social and

communication signs of autism, which include language delays and lack of

interest in people.

" The finding that the unusual use of

toys is also present early in life means that this behavior could easily be

added to a parent check-list or quickly assessed during a visit to a

pediatrician's office, " Ozonoff said.

The study involved 66 one-year-old infants.

Nine of the children were later diagnosed with autism. Seven of the nine

children displayed significantly more spinning, rotating and unusual visual

exploration of objects than typically developing children.

" We found that these behaviors were

relatively rare in the contrast group, but very high in the group who later

developed autism, " Ozonoff said.

Current screening tests focus on social-communicative

behaviors like responding to name, making eye contact and word learning.

These measures accurately distinguish children developing autism from

children who are developing as expected.

The average age of autism diagnosis in the

United States is three years of age or older. Interviews with parents,

however, have shown that signs of autism often are present long before the

diagnosis is made.

" About a third of parents notice signs

before a child's first birthday, " Ozonoff said. " We felt that our

field could do a better job at early diagnosis, so we decided to look at

multiple candidates for early screening and early detection, " she

explained.

Ozonoff and her colleagues decided to look

at repetitive behaviors that previous studies indicated developed later

than two years of age. These retrospective studies, however, relied on the

memory of parents whose children were ultimately diagnosed with autism.

" We wanted to directly test whether or

not repetitive behaviors so characteristic of autism might actually be

apparent earlier and therefore useful in early diagnosis, " Ozonoff

said.

In contrast to previous research, the

current prospective study began with a group of 12-month olds who had not

received any diagnosis. The study group included infants from families who

had either an older child diagnosed with autism or an older child

developing typically.

To approximate the skewed gender ratio of

autism in the real world, 62 percent of the infants

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